Friday, January 11, 2013

I fell in love with this image when I saw it. My children constantly amaze me with all they have learned from books they read for pleasure. I only have a tumblr source, so if you know the artist and title please give me a heads up.

New Books (and a little cover talk):

Julia Kagawa discusses the new cover for Immortal Rules on her blog. I confess that, though I don't really think the new cover is particularly spectacular or anything, I think all of her reasons for the change are spot on and that the new cover is much better than the original (and it gets rid of the pesky whitewashingproblem.) Also, yay for The Eternity Cure this year! I am waiting for entirely too many sequels in 2013.

Neil Gaiman has a new adult novel ( a new novel written for adults, as opposed to a novel for people who are new to adulthood) coming out this year!!! The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel will be released this June and I cannot wait! Not that I don't love all the children's books he's recently been releasing (because I DO love them), I am just excited for the new Gaiman book to be going on my shelf rather than the kids'.

If you haven't had enough talk about exciting 2013 releases, head over to the midnight garden and enter to win a bundle of January 2013 releases worth over $88!

Literacy Promotion:

It's that time of year again! Time to apply to be a book giver for World Book Night! (Even though the little peanut will be a very little peanut, this is one event that my husband and I just can't miss.) Check out their website to see the list of 2013 books, or just to learn more about what they do.

Books in Movie (and TV) Land:

There are rumors about that JK Rowling will be writing a Doctor Who story...could that really get any better?!

Finally, Entertainment Weekly has released their latest Hunger Games cover! I am just not sure if I am sold on Sam Claflin as Finnick Odair; he just looks a little young? small? something? (Or maybe it's that I'm a 30 something judging a character in a teen book for looking like a teen. Ahem.) Not that it will stop me from watching Catching Fire as soon as humanly possible! via Tor

Wednesday, January 09, 2013

Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

But all that changes when the Lynburns return.

The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the- Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?

Review:

***Initial review written in April 2012. A few changes were made for this posting.***

The first time I read Sarah Rees Brennan's Unspoken, I began it a little after I put the kids to bed. I thought I would get in a few chapters before turning in myself. Instead, I fell right into Sorry-in-the-Vale, only truly emerging as I blearily realized that, indeed, it was 4:00am and yes, in fact, that was the last page. No matter how many times I flicked the screen to the left, the page stayed stubbornly put. I had to wait for over a YEAR for the rest?!?! Deliciously frustrating, agonizingly wonderful torture. Sarah Rees Brennan, I love/hate/love you.

Since I had so kindly been provided my copy from the publisher, I sat down the next day to write a review (while ignoring the complaints of my disgruntled husband, who had been kept awake the night before by my constant laughing out loud.) Sadly, all I could really get out was something along the lines of:

You know, a very mature reviewer-like response. I decided the first reading was for me, and a second more thorough reading with notebook in hand was in order. I started earlier this time with every intention of reading it in segments taking careful notes along the way. I surfaced at midnight with a freshly sharpened pencil, a blank notebook page, a burning need for the next book, and even more intense fan-girl feelings. This was not good.

Sarah Rees Brennan has done something truly amazing with Unspoken -- it is like she carefully crafted one stereotype, cliche, or trope after another (for genres and people alike) and then systematically shattered them. Nothing is what it seems; it is all much more complex and beautiful than that. A wonderfully supportive and loving family that still has very real and hurtful flaws. Dependable, staunchly supportive best friends with deeply held secrets. I would love to catalogue them all, but what a way to spoil SRB's excellently crafted story. I love her characters; I love their relationships; I love how real they feel in their confidence and insecurity and bravery and fear.

However, one of the best parts of Unspoken is what SRB has done for the gothic genre. I adore reading, with an unapologetic obsession, all things Victoria Holt, Barbara Michaels, Madeleine Brent, and -- of course -- Mary Stewart. I have no fewer than two huge under-the-bed plastic tubs full of nothing but paperbacks of these four authors collected from thrift stores and yard sales over the years. With this unabashed love, however, must also come the honest admission that, whatever strengths each writer possesses, complexity and/or originality of plot is not one of them. Put plainly, the old gothic romances tend to suffer for being overly formulaic, and one only comes back because one likes the formula. (After my fourth Victoria Holt I would have been ashamed of myself if I hadn't guessed who was the bad guy and who was the true love by the third or fourth chapter.) SRB takes on the mantle of these wonderful storytellers before her, inserts the formulas into her book, and then bends or breaks them into something entirely new.* There is a comfortable, sleepy town with deep dark secrets lurking under the surface. And, yes, Kami is quick to stumble into trouble and overly curious, but she isn't nearly as helpless or clueless as her predecessors. Yes, she has two (or more) potential suitors, who are also both potential suspects, one dark and one light. However, she doesn't fall into insta-love with either, and remains stubbornly and wonderfully self sufficient around both. There is, of course, the usual cast of sternly disapproving member of the older generation, an affable, avuncular type relative, and a dreamy-eyed, child-like woman -- all of whom are also possible suspects. Yet SRB brings complexity and nuance to these characters that makes them into something entirely different from their tropes.

Another delightfully new talent SRB brings to the gothic genre is her humor. I don't know how she does it, but Unspoken maintains it gothic aesthetic while being truly laugh out loud funny. Laugh out loud over and over and OVER again funny (no matter how many times I've read it.**) Kami's friends are a wonderful break from the tradition of isolating the young heroine, and they are each unique takes of young adult stereotypes themselves.

I feel as if I could go on and on for ages about why Unspoken is a perfect book, despite its gut wrenching cliff-hanger ending. So I'll leave you with this: If you like gothic novels or romantic suspense -- read it. If you are ready for some paranormal YA that takes you by surprise -- read it. If you like...what am I saying? Just read it anyway. It's that good.

Gwen’s life has been a rollercoaster since she discovered she was the Ruby, the final member of the secret time-traveling Circle of Twelve. In between searching through history for the other time-travelers and asking for a bit of their blood (gross!), she’s been trying to figure out what all the mysteries and prophecies surrounding the Circle really mean.

At least Gwen has plenty of help. Her best friend Lesley follows every lead diligently on the Internet. James the ghost teaches Gwen how to fit in at an eighteenth century party. And Xemerius, the gargoyle demon who has been following Gwen since he caught her kissing Gideon in a church, offers advice on everything. Oh, yes. And of course there is Gideon, the Diamond. One minute he’s very warm indeed; the next he’s freezing cold. Gwen’s not sure what’s going on there, but she’s pretty much destined to find out.

Review:

First, impressions about translation then on to the review: I think I can easily say that I disliked the translation of Saphirblau much more than Rubinrot. Again, Gwen just reads younger than she really is, and this time it affected my enjoyment of the book much more than with Rubinrot. It seemed to diminish some of Gwen's character growth. Gwen also comes off as a much more angsty character in English than she did in German. And, again, can we just enjoy that German cover?

However, one thing both translations have in common is that Sapphire Blue reads more like slump chapters that follow Ruby Redthan an independent book. It jumps right in where Ruby Red left off with little to no background information and ends just as abruptly. Even in a trilogy I like a little bit of a reminder at the beginning of each book about where we have been, and some sort of resolution at the end -- even if it is temporary or only for part of the plot.

I also found the main characters are disappointingly less realistic and well rounded in Sapphire Blue than in Ruby Red. Gideon is just a mess -- fluctuating between kind friend and jerk at the drop of a hat; Charlotte -- who was annoying but redeemable in Ruby Red -- becomes insufferable; and Gwen is so wrapped up in Gideon's personality swings that she misses a lot of really important things going on all around her. Lesley and the other members of the supporting cast (oh, how I love you Xemerius -- and I would buy you a dog!) save this installment of the trilogy. Their humorous antics carry the book between the action.

All this aside, a lot more happens in this installment than what one assumes at first glance. There are tons of little hints and bits of information that will be important for Emerald Green; the foreshadowing just got a little lost in the angst. Sapphire Blue was also still a fast and frothy read -- fun despite the flaws -- and I'm excited to get my hands on Emerald Green next fall.

Sunday, January 06, 2013

I know I'm a little behind on this as well, but I really wanted to revisit my favorite reads of 2012 before moving on to the new year. I already have reviews posted for most of them, but the few I don't are scheduled to appear this month. So, without further ado, my top ten favorite reads of 2012:

Middle Grade:

Ordinary Magic by Caitlen Rubino-Bradway is the beautifully told story of Abby, a completely "ordinary" girl in a magical world. I loved Rubino-Bradway's world building almost as much as I loved the relationships between her characters.

Young Adult:

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga is one of those books that takes hold of you and doesn't let go. I devoured it, loved it, and still can't stop thinking about it. Jaz is such an incredibly creepy, wonderful, complex character, and I can't wait to learn more about him.

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman is one of those rare novels that I would almost dare call perfect. At least perfect for me. It is an amazing representation of high fantasy with exceptional world building and positive representations of women!!!! There is math! and logic! and romance! and dragons!

And All The Stars by Andrea K Höst completely took me by surprise. Aside from the fact that it is self-published and still knocks the socks off almost everything else I read this year, it is also just an amazingly well done novel. Höst manages to ask some really big questions while being incredibly entertaining, and I just can't get this book out of my head.

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan is another one of those perfect for me books. It is an exceptional (though cliffhangery) beginning to a gothic series in the style of Mary Stewart, only YA, and modernized. Again, when I try to talk about this book I turn into a gushy fan-girl. Just read it.

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard is the story of Bria, a young girl who tries to leave herself behind and instead finds herself. It was full of quotable quotes and insightful bits about travelling and had an adorably believable romance.

Preloved by Shirley Marr is a ghost story. About a modern girl and a ghost from the 80s. It's so funny that I choked myself laughing more than once. It's Australian -- which is the YA equivalent of saying PURE GOLD. What is not to love?

Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross is part fairytale retelling and part fairytale reinvention. I love that Cross brings in the dark bits of old Grimm fairytales, incorporates things the Disney generations would be familiar with, and still manages to create a wonderfully fresh world.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein is simply stunning. It is historical fiction, but still completely true in everything that really matters. It is gut-wrenchingly beautiful and horrible all at once. I defy you to read it and not cry.

Adult Fiction:

Chasing Magic by Stacia Kane is actually just the newest in the DownsideGhostsSeries, many of which were published in 2012. Stacia Kane went from being a completely unknown-to-me author to one of my favorite urban fantasy authors with this series. It is dark and gritty and I can't stop reading it.

And that is the short-list for 2012. What were some of your favorite reads last year?

Friday, January 04, 2013

I'm slowly trying to wade back into the blogoshere, and I can't help but thinking over and over again, "WOW, have I missed a lot!" I'm also very surprised at the number of blogs I used to keep up with on bloglines. Here are a few links to some things that really struck me in my playing catch-up:

All that laying on the couch and in bed these past few months left plenty of time for light reading...which, or course, quickly led to numerous 99 cent downloads of books that looked interesting but fluffy. (I mean, really, you can't buy twelve full priced books in one day!) The unintended result of my bargain nook shopping was a substantial increase in the number of so called "new adult" books I was reading. Not being active with my usual blog and news sources, I was also doing this reading in a sort of vacuum. It was very interesting to come back only to have both Stacked (also here) and A Chair, a Fireplace & a Tea Cozy (followed up here and here with more to come) go into very in depth discussions of the genre and many of the issues I was finding while reading it.

Finally, bitch magazine compiled a list of 100 Young Adult Books for the Feminist Reader. Though looking for books with strong female leads (or at the very least positive portrayals of females within them) has always been on my radar as a reader, I must admit that it is usually, if not on the back burner, at least on the side burner. I think it is the natural outcome of being surrounded by a large family of teenage boys and having a knack for finding the books that lure reluctant teen boys to read. (Part of why I also enjoyed this article that encourages authors writing for teen boys.) However, as my daughter gets older she also gets persistently more determined in her quest for "girl heroes" in the media she consumes. It makes me simultaneously swell with pride for her and become comsumed by my feelings of my own inadequacy to guide her. I was appalled by how few books on the list I had heard of, much less read (only 15!)

Wednesday, January 02, 2013

Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era!

Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon--the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.

Review:

First some thoughts on the translation, then the rest of the review and rating will focus exclusively on my opinion of the English version. German was one of my majors, and I do enjoy reading books in German and listening to German music. I don't, however, really consider myself to be truly proficient -- I'm willing to muddle through the hard parts with only partial understanding. Therefore, I am completely willing to assume many of the differences between the English and German editions are entirely due to my faulty comprehension of the original German and not a testament to Anthea Bell's translating abilities. Bell did an excellent job of maintaining the overall feeling of the book(s). It is still light, fun, and fast-paced. However, I felt like Gwen read a little younger in the English version than the German, making the English version appeal to a slightly younger audience. Additionally, the chauvinism (which was an important though unappealing aspect to many of the male characters' personalities) felt like it was somehow both more pervasive and considered more acceptable in the English version than the original. It made Gideon, especially, a less interesting character to me. I also felt the foreshadowing was slightly more heavy handed, making some of the mysterious aspects a bit more predictable. (Of course, that could also be a result of already knowing what was coming as a reader.) Finally, what, precisely, is so wholly German about the name Gwendolyn that requires it be changed to Gwyneth for English readers to understand? (Oh, yeah, and the German covers are MUCH better!)

Differences in translation aside, I think much of what made Gier's story so successful still shine through in the English version. It has action, adventure, romance, and mystery. The plot moves quickly along, and even if the destination is occasionally predictable, the journey is enjoyable. I like Gwen for many of the same reasons I like Percy Jackson -- Gwen is an average girl. She is smart without being exceptional. She is attractive without causing every male in the vicinity to fall madly in love with her. She has a healthy self image, has friends, and knows how to have fun. She has a loving, supportive and present family. She is wonderfully normal and, therefore, infinitely more relatable to the average reader than many paranormal leads. Gwen has her moments of failing to see things right in front of her (they all do, really), and she makes a few really stupid choices. However, she never crosses the line into the too-stupid-to-live category. (And there is always another character there to call her on it.)

I don't think that Ruby Red is an exceptional or revolutionary book, but I do think it is one of a type of book that is essential. It is accessible, relatable, fun, quick and interesting. It is just the book to bring in reluctant readers, and a fast bit of fluff for heavy readers. It doesn't ask anything of you, but leaves you entertained. My one major complaint is that this is not a trilogy where each part has a nicely tied-up story arc. Each book leaves you dangling from a great precipice, waiting for the next!

Bringing YA to You is a contest being held by five best-selling, award-winning authors: Marie Lu, Marissa Meyer, Beth Revis, Victoria Schwab and Megan Shepherd, and let me tell you, it is awesome! You have two possible ways to win:

If your hometown gets the most votes, you win the authors in a unique, one-stop, book tour event!

If you help spread the word, you're entered into a drawing where you can win the entire collection of the authors' books--10 books in total, all signed!

Go to their website to vote for your hometown, then help spread the word (and enter to win 10 SIGNED books!) using the rafflecopter widget below:

Friday, December 28, 2012

Yes, that would be baby number three propping up my Nook. And also the reason for the prolonged silence around here. Unfortunately, I suffer from a relatively unknown condition called Hyperemesis Gravidarum during the early to middle part of my pregnancies*, and must work especially hard to make sure that baby and I are both safe and healthy. That has meant many months of barely moving from my bed or sofa, forcing myself to drink fluids so that I wouldn't have to get them via IV, and daily weight checks. We are now nearing 28 weeks and, thankfully, everything is going really well. The older two couldn't be more pleased about the newest (and last) addition to our family, and neither could we! However, to make sure that baby and I stay healthy and that our family continues to fully engage in activities that are important to us -- like educating the older two kiddos -- I'll be slowly returning to this space, with fewer and less strenuous expectations for myself. I will probably be backing off of most ARC (read time sensitive) reviewing, and will have a much less structured schedule. It also means that I have not and will not meet the reading challenges I set for myself this year, but I am okay with that. I do not see these changes as permanent and plan to return to a more normal schedule after baby is born. For the moment, though, I want to thank those readers who have stuck with me for their patience and understanding.

*At least it was before Kate Middleton apparently popularized it. Wow, have I been seriously out of the loop. Now EVERYONE is an expert. Ahem.

Sunday, August 05, 2012

After a couple of very stressful months, we decided to load the family up and head to the Gulf for a few days. We have a very special island we go to a couple times each year that just nourishes all of our souls (making the two days on the beach worth the two days of driving!) Excluding the few fishermen who hang out by the rocks and the island wildlife, we have the entire island to ourselves. We spend hours picking up shells, building sand castles, swimming, and just soaking up the beauty. Every time I sit there watching the sunrise -- waves washing over my legs, my kids playing behind me -- it reminds me of ee cummings' maggie and milly and molly and may:

maggie and milly and molly and may

went down to the beach to play one day

and maggie discovered a shell that sang

so sweetly she couldn't remember her troubles, and

milly befriended a stranded star

whose rays five languid fingers were;

and molly was chased by a horrible thing

which raced sideways while blowing bubbles: and

may came home with a smooth round stone

as small as a world and as large as alone.

For whatever we lose (like a you or a me)

it's always ourselves we find in the sea

Our mini-vacation has left me feeling very refreshed but also a little lazy... I'm still on coastal time. Next week will be a little on the light side with only three reviews:

On Thursday I will finally post my review for Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan. I have been sitting on this review forever. I cannot even begin to say how much I loved it. My love for Unspoken is all wrapped up in my love Mary Stewart and gothic novels; but it is more than that as well. Unspoken is funny and smart and fresh...and I should be saving this for the review!

book evangelism

“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book." - John Green

about

I am a music-addicted crafter. I garden when it's easy and Homeschool my kids even when it isn't. Most of all, I read. I read when I'm happy, when I'm sad, to hide from things or to find things; I read when I have time, and even when I don't. This is my space to share that passion.